Marathon Training Week 1: 15 Weeks to Go

Week one of my marathon training is complete. I have 15 weeks until the Houston Chevron Marathon, and so far, I’m following the plan as best as possible. Here’s what it looked like:

Marathon training is more fun when this isn’t involved.

Kidding! No treadmill yet.

Monday: CrossFit. My plan says to cross-train hard on the days when I’m not running. I think CrossFit fits the bill nicely. Plus, the idea of giving up CrossFit during marathon training makes me want to cry.

I took a Pilates class that night. I’m thinking of switching to yoga.

Tuesday: 8x400m repeats. I wasn’t as fast as I wanted to be, but I kept a consistent pace. While I was on the track, I heard someone call my name. A couple of my friends, who are also training for the Houston Chevron Marathon, were doing some speedwork, too.

Then, I went to CrossFit.

Wednesday: CrossFit. (Do you see a pattern? I do.) I pulled a muscle in my shoulder doing overhead squats. I found a new one-rep max – a 10 pound PR!

Thursday: Barbell class, followed by a three-mile tempo run. It was hot, although not as humid. I was slow. I went to yoga at the box that night, and it did wonders for my sore muscles and mental health.

Friday: I swam for half an hour. I am not a fast or strong swimmer. I did it mostly to keep my muscles moving and my shoulders loose.

Saturday: A 10-mile run with my new friend Ray, which meant intervals. We’d run at a harder than usual pace for .8 miles, then walk for .1 miles. I averaged about a 10-minute mile that way.

Sunday: Rest, in the form of pushing a grocery cart around Kroger.

With the way my speedwork went, this first week of marathon training fueled my self-doubt. It’s still pretty strong. On the other hand, I do have a week of training done, and it’s still very early in the training cycle.

I have a 10-mile race on Sunday, and I’m planning to run it at my goal marathon pace (or half-marathon pace, if I’m feeling feisty). I’m looking forward to writing that recap!